I usually begin these guides with something like, “I went to London on holiday…” or “I travelled to Madrid to…”, but this one starts a little differently. I don’t go to Venice, Italy, as a traveller. I was born there, although I haven’t lived there for many years now. So many, in fact, that whenever I go back, I almost feel like a tourist in my own place.
Every time I return, I hope to find that the vegan food scene has grown a little more. Unfortunately, I have to admit that it is still not particularly lively and that eating vegan in Venice is not always as easy as you might expect — unless you are happy to rely on the few selection of vegetable side dishes you will find on most traditional Italian menus ( which is cool! but..).
In this guide, you will find the restaurants I have tried most recently, in 2026, along with a few places I have not personally visited yet but know well enough to include.
Eating Vegan in Venice, Italy: What to Expect
Eating vegan in Venice, Italy, is not easy at all. Honestly, I would love to tell you I know why, but I don’t. I have lived abroad for many years and I travel a lot, and I have watched the food scene change with my own eyes: evolving, becoming more inclusive, not only in big cities but in small towns too. In Venice, that still hasn’t really happened.
Maybe it has something to do with how difficult and expensive it is to open a restaurant in a city like Venice, especially when you are taking a risk on something that still feels relatively niche. Maybe it has something to do with a culinary tradition that relies heavily on animal products, although no, tradition cannot always be the excuse. The truth is that I don’t have an answer. And to be fair, I would never open a restaurant in Venice myself. I am nowhere near that brave.
What I do know is that the last time I asked whether a Venetian restaurant had any vegan dishes, I won’t name it because, quite honestly, I don’t remember which one it was, the waitress suggested tuna tartare.
“Because it’s not meat.”
So, after this slightly bleak introduction, let’s move on to the good news.
On the island of Venice itself, there is one 100% plant-based restaurant that I have personally tried, a fusion place serving genuinely good vegan dishes, and a long, reliable parade of side dishes that will at least stop you from starving after spending an entire day walking across hundreds of bridges.
And then there is poke.
Poke always saves everyone’s ass.
The Only 100% Vegan Restaurant in Venice: My Honest Review
La Tecia Vegana, which, in Venetian, means “the vegan pot”, is the oasis in the desert, the needle in the haystack that Google Maps will eventually lead you to, a small Venetian vegan miracle. If you are on holiday in Venice, there is a very good chance you will end up coming back more than once. Not just because it is the only fully vegan restaurant, but because the food is genuinely good.
The last time I ate there was in December 2025. The restaurant is in an area I know very well because it is close to my old university, although for someone who does not know the island it might feel slightly “out of the centre” — but does a real centre even exist in Venice?
The place itself is simple and quite spartan, but clean, warm and welcoming. It promises vegan and organic cooking made with fresh, genuine ingredients, and that promise was kept. The quality of the ingredients was very good. The dishes were tasty, wholesome and comforting. Eating there felt a little like having dinner at the home of a vegan friend who happens to be a very good cook.
Nothing I ate was particularly extravagant or wildly original, but everything was good, and, for me, that is a real compliment. One especially enthusiastic note has to go to dessert: quite simply, the best tiramisu I have ever eaten. That day, I was lucky enough to find a gluten-free version too. Looking at their current menu, though, I can only see an option containing gluten, but why? ( Friends at La Tecia Vegana, your tiramisu is far too good not to be inclusive!). The person I was with is vegetarian, and he completely agreed with me about the tiramisu.
One consideration that goes beyond the food: this is the only fully vegan restaurant on the island of Venice, and one of the very few in the Veneto region as a whole. For that reason alone, it deserves all my — and our — support.
That evening, my phone was dead, so I didn’t manage to take any photos. I could have used the phone of the person I was with, but the truth is, I was hungry and the food was good. And honestly, that might be the best measure of all.
Eating Gluten-Free at La Tecia Vegana
Eating gluten-free at La Tecia Vegana was easy. The staff knew what they were talking about and, most importantly, made me feel safe. There were enough gluten-free options to have an interesting dinner with a good amount of choice, rather than having to settle for the one dish you can eat.
The menu is also fairly democratic when it comes to dessert: at the moment, there are two desserts, and one of them is gluten-free. On their website, the restaurant currently states that its menu cannot guarantee the absence of cross-contamination, so if you have celiac disease, let them know when booking and discuss your requirements directly with the staff.
Orient Experience II: Middle Eastern-Inspired Fusion with Vegan Options
Sad and slightly defeated after discovering that the only vegan restaurant on the island ( see above ) was closed on its day off, one day I suddenly remembered Orient Experience, a small restaurant where you order at the counter, build your own plate, and bring it to your table.
I love Middle Eastern food ( I still haven’t met a vegan who doesn’t love hummus ) but I usually try to avoid places where hummus is also the only thing I can actually eat. I wasn’t really sure what I would find. It had been far too many years since my last visit to this little restaurant, which now has two locations, but I was genuinely surprised by the number of vegan and gluten-free options available.
I managed to put together a rich and delicious plate, generously portioned and nicely spiced, with lentil dal, white rice, and a vegetable curry. Nothing particularly groundbreaking, and I suspect the spices had been kept fairly restrained (probably so as not to overwhelm palates that are less used to them) but everything tasted genuine, comforting, and well made.
I went to the Campo Santa Margherita location, which has only a handful of tables but a lovely view over one of the largest campo — Venice’s version of a piazza — on the island. The other location is the original one, where I first ate many years ago. I remember it being small as well, but also very beautiful and full of character.
Eating Gluten-Free at Orient Experience
Orient Experience has plenty of gluten-free options. (also for non vegans), and the staff seemed knowledgeable. The menu is also clearly labelled, which makes choosing what to eat quite straightforward. That said, because the food is displayed close together and the serving spoons are all in the same area, I cannot say with confidence that it is safe from cross-contamination.
If you have celiac disease, I would definitely ask the staff before ordering and explain that cross-contamination matters. If you are simply avoiding gluten because of an intolerance or personal preference, however, eating both vegan and gluten-free here is very easy, and genuinely enjoyable.
Vegan Poke in Venice: An Easy Option Near Piazza San Marco
Poke a Pua is not a 100% plant-based poke place — as, sadly, most poke places aren’t. But when the alternatives are limited, one of the first things I usually do is search for the nearest poke. The reason is simple: at the very least, you can build your own bowl, and more often than not there is some kind of plant-based protein available.
Not here, unfortunately.
If what you want is a good bowl of vegetables, fruit, and grains, you will absolutely be able to put one together. If you are looking for a complete lunch and a genuinely inclusive poke place, meaning one that remembers plant-based proteins exist and, incidentally, are good for everyone, not just us humble vegans, I wouldn’t go here.
When I visited, the protein section I was offered consisted entirely of fish and meat, which genuinely surprised me. The good news is that this seems to have changed: checking their current online ordering menu, Poke a Puà now lists tofu as a protein option, as well as chickpeas, edamame and red beans among the other ingredients. So, thankfully, this is one place where things appear to have improved since my visit.
That said, I ate a good bowl with vegetables, fruit, and red rice. No particular praise for this place, but it is in a beautiful location and it works perfectly well for a quick lunch.
Eating Gluten-Free at Poke a Pua
Eating gluten-free was possible, mainly because I built a very simple bowl with vegetables, fruit, and rice. The sauces were off limits for me, and I did not get the impression that the staff were particularly knowledgeable about gluten-free requirements or especially attentive to cross-contamination. So if you have celiac disease, I would approach this place with extreme caution and ask very specific questions before ordering.
Locanda Rosa Rosae: A Beautiful Spot with Vegan Options Just Outside Venice
To visit this beautiful place, you will have to leave the island, remember what roads with actual cars look like, abandon the boats, and drive for about an hour.
But it is worth it.
If, like me, you love the kind of beauty we used to save on Pinterest before AI arrived, tablescapes that mix antique and contemporary pieces, old mills, the countryside, and abundant food ( or even just one of these things ) you should visit this little gem in the heart of the Venetian countryside.
I was there in May 2026, and it was even more beautiful than I remembered. The lunch and dinner concept is unusual, but very simple: there is always an enormous and varied buffet, followed by courses served at the table, usually a first and a second course. No menu.
The food is good quality — I can speak only for the vegetables — abundant, colourful, and full of flavour. There are vegetables everywhere, prepared in all sorts of ways, but forget about plant-based proteins. At least when I visited in May, I did not see a single legume. But that is fine. We can survive without protein for one day. And if you are curious about what I normally eat in a day as a vegan, I wrote an entire article about it, basically a little window into my home kitchen.
There is plenty of variety, so you definitely won’t go hungry. Vegan options are available and, if you let them know in advance as I did, the courses that are brought to the table — which you don’t choose yourself — can be made vegan. The owners were extremely accommodating and understanding about my gluten-free request too.
But what will really stay with you is the location. It is such a beautiful place, so thoughtfully decorated and with such a fascinating history, that it is difficult to describe it properly without showing it to you. I took plenty of photos, and you can see them here.
The owner, a well-known architect in the area, crossed paths with me several times while I was enthusiastically filling my plate with the very well cooked vegetables. A couple of times, he asked whether I would like some meat, I honestly don’t remember what kind.
The first time, I said, “No, thank you.”
The second time, I said, “No, thank you, I’m vegan.”
He looked at me and said, completely sincerely:
“But it’s good.”
And he genuinely meant it.
I am telling you this because, despite that slightly surreal exchange, they really did make an effort to accommodate me and make the experience inclusive, even if perhaps that inclusivity does not come from an ethical motivation. And while, in my opinion, that is not enough, it is still a beginning. Because ultimately, there is no such thing as vegan food and non-vegan food. There is good food and bad food. There is ethical food, and there is food that kills.
Eating Gluten-Free at Rosa Rosae
I let them know about my gluten-free requirements in advance, and the courses brought to the table were prepared gluten-free for me. As for gluten-free carbohydrates at the buffet, I found corn and potatoes. Overall, the gluten-free selection is quite limited and, because of the nature of the experience ( it is a buffet, after all ) I would not consider it safe for people with celiac disease due to the risk of cross-contamination. That said, I do believe the kitchen can accommodate specific dietary requirements if you contact them and explain what you need well in advance.
Venissa: A Michelin-Starred Restaurant in the Lagoon I Haven’t Tried (Yet)
Venissa, led by chef Chiara Pavan, is very well known in the area, especially because Chiara herself is a familiar face on Italian television.
I think she does valuable work in promoting biodiversity, zero-waste practices, respect for ingredients, and organic farming. On paper, it all sounds beautiful. And yet I can never feel completely enthusiastic about it, because one question always remains in the back of my mind: this love for the land seems to begin with a deep awareness of respect, biodiversity, and our role as human beings and then somehow stops at the point where Venissa still cooks animals, including meat, fish, and animal-derived products.
Does it really make sense to eat invasive species in the name of protecting native ones and the environment, while continuing to support animal exploitation more broadly? I don’t think it does. I hope that the very talented Chef Pavan might, one day not too far from now, reflect on that contradiction too.
That said, I believe Venissa offers what must be a beautiful experience, on an island in the venetian lagoon remote enough to feel genuinely fascinating, with carefully prepared food built around local, zero-kilometre ingredients. I also believe it is probably possible to have a plant-based menu if requested in advance.
I haven’t eaten there personally yet, so I am not presenting this as a review. I am including it because I think it is a place worth knowing about, and if any of you have been, or end up going, and would like to contribute your experience to this guide, please get in touch with us.
Sulla Luna Venezia: A Vegan-Friendly Bookshop Bistro I Still Want to Try
Sulla Luna Venezia is one of those places I have wanted to try for a while, but for one reason or another, I still haven’t made it there. I will soon. I checked their current online menu, and it is vegan-friendly, with a few vegan crostini and even a vegan dessert.
The concept itself is obviously lovely, and completely against the whole fast-coffee-with-your-phone-in-your-hand way of doing things. It is a bookshop bistro that also hosts events and, if I understood correctly, has a location in New York as well. And then there is the small garden with outdoor tables which, in Venice, feels like a small miracle in itself.
Judging from the menu, I don’t think there are many gluten-free options among the vegan dishes, and that is also part of the reason I still haven’t been. Although, to be fair, that is probably more laziness than anything else. Next time I am nearby, I will finally pick up the phone and call. In the meantime, if any of you have already been and would like to contribute to this review, please get in touch with us.
Traditional Venetian Food to Try: Tramezzini & Cicchetti
In Venice, we have a typical kind of sandwich called tramezzino: a wonderfully soft sandwich usually made with mayonnaise and filled with all sorts of things. I make vegan and gluten-free tramezzini at home quite often and, honestly, with vegan mayonnaise involved, I know this is hardly an impossible challenge.
I am sure there must be vegan versions somewhere around Venice, but I still haven’t managed to find one that is both vegan and gluten-free. So I am leaving you with a mission: find a vegan tramezzino and try it.
Another very typical Venetian finger food is the cicchetto, essentially Venice’s answer to tapas. It usually consists of a small slice of crusty bread topped with all sorts of ingredients. And here we have exactly the same situation: making a vegan and gluten-free cicchetto is really not that difficult, and yet I still haven’t found one.
So now you have a second mission.
More Plant-Based Food Guides Around the World
Planning another trip? Explore our other plant-based food guides for restaurants, local finds, and places actually worth adding to your list.
- Istanbul Vegan Restaurants: My Favorite Plant-Based Places in the City
- Vegan Restaurants in Madrid: Where I Ate Plant-Based in the City
- Vegan Restaurants in London: Where to Eat Plant-Based in the City
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